I have been roasting with the Plus 8 and with the Kitchen Gourmet (Walgreen's) with good results. I ran across a Presto Poplite Popper that I had purchased at Walmart for use of popcorn popping. It is 1440 watts and blows up from the bottom verses from the side as on the Kitchen Gourmet. A while back I had tried it for roasting coffee but it just blew all the beans straight out the top so I had put it away. While at Walmart I saw and purchased a kerosene lamp chimney that fit perfectly in the top of the popper. I loaded the popper with the usual small amount that I place in the Plus 8 and Kitchen Gourment but the popper is so strong it still blew the beans out the top of the chimney. Not to be outdone I began adding beans until it started bogging the chamber down thereby lowering the velocity of the beans. Since I was testing I am not sure exactly how much I put in the chamber but I wound up with 3/4 full pint jar. I completed three roasts and it did a super job of roasting.....Very even roast. As I always do, I stirred the beans with the end of a wooden spoon every few seconds until they began to lose its chaff and lighten up. I would guess that this system does approximately 3 times the amount that you can complete with the Plus 8. I think the popper is about $13.00 and the chimney $3.00 so this is an easy way to get started or try a different system. How long the popper will last? I don't know but I will have fun finding out. Your thoughts please....Art Taylor, Munford, TN

I've read several places that it is not safe to roast in a popper where the air comes straight from the bottom beacuse of the fire hazard. I have never tried first hand, but I figure if Ken Davids and Sweetmaria's say something about coffee that it is worth considering. Be careful :-)

I've read several places that it is not safe to roast in a popper where the air comes straight from the bottom beacuse of the fire hazard. I have never tried first hand, but I figure if Ken Davids and Sweetmaria's say something about coffee that it is worth considering. Be careful :-)

With all due respect to Ken Davids and Tom Owen, they got this one wrong. Ken mentions an story he once heard about a bottom-hole popper catching fire in his classic Home Roasting book - purely anecdotal, no evidence whatsoever - and now it's become urban legend. I've roasted many pounds of coffee in Presto-style poppers without any problems. They work fine, but tend to roast too fast, and require more manual agitation than West Bend-style poppers.

Re fire hazards of home roasting: your words of caution apply equally well to all types of roasting equipment. Think about it: you are applying sustained high heat to little chunks of oily cellulose. Over the years I've managed to destroy a WB Poppery I (the holy grail of poppers) and an electric drum roaster due to beans catching fire. Bottom line: never roast unattended!

I just bought a Kitchen Gourmet popper at Walgreens and wondered if you had any advice on the amount of beans to use and what sorta roasts can you make on this model popper. What beans do you recommend??

It was only $9.99 on an endcap and I couldn't get over the fact that I FINALLY found a popper with the correct mechanism inside. Most of the ones I came across at Walmart and Target had the mesh screen inside.

You can get just about any roast level with the Kitchen Gourmet. I have one myself after my Toastmaster died, and the one thing I noticed is with everything else consistent the Kitchen Gourmet's roasts were always faster than the Toastmaster even though the insides are basically identical. So I modified the Kitchen Gourmet so that the main heater coil can be turned off while the fan and secondary coil remain on. This allows me to get a nice 15 minute roast compared to 4-5 minutes before adding the second switch. Works great so far using around 1/3 to 1/2 cup of green coffee at a time.

I've been using this popper over the past month, and have had great success. I usually roast 1/2 cup batches @ 60 grams depending on the bean. I use a 100 foot extension cord. 1st crack is usually somewhere around the 4 min. mark, second crack starts around 6 mins depending on the bean and ambient temp. I have not found 3rd crack, but I'm sure the popper is capable of it. I have not used a thermometer and pretty much relied on using my senses and a timer and have had really good results. My very first batch was the only one that wasn't very good and that is simply because I stopped the roast way too soon and had baked bready type coffee. Just experiment, and I'm sure you will be pleased. For the $10.00 I spent on this popper, it can't be beat.

I have 3 of the Kitchen Gourmets and had one that quit heating. Sometimes they are on sale for $6.99 at Walgreens. I also use an extension cord and when I first start the roast I stir the beans with the long handle end of a wooden kitchen spoon. As the beans begin drying out and losing chaff they move around real well on their own. Just remember, the more beans you put in the chamber, the hotter it becomes and vice versa.I am still playing with the Presto Poplite that I got at Walmart. It holds more beans than the Gourmet. As I said in my post you have to place a kerosene light chimney in it to keep the beans in (fits perfectly and also got at Walmart). I also reach through the chimney with the wooden spoon and stir at the beginning also.Enjoy your roasting.....Art Taylor, Munford, TN

I'll have to look into the Presto, it would be nice to roast a little more per batch. I have seen the glass chimneys in Wally World, but haven't needed one with the Kitchen Gourmet. When I'm finished stirring with the wooden spoon, I slide it under the front of the popper to give it a little tilt.

"They work fine, but tend to roast too fast, and require more manual agitation than West Bend-style poppers."

Forgive my ignorance, but how does the speed of the roast translate into the results in the cup? I'm using a Presto Poplite (had one in the attic) as I get my bearings on roasting; I don't mind manually agitating the beans to prevent burning.

... I ran across a Presto Poplite Popper that I had purchased at Walmart for use of popcorn popping. It is 1440 watts and blows up from the bottom verses from the side as on the Kitchen Gourmet. A while back I had tried it for roasting coffee but it just blew all the beans straight out the top so I had put it away. While at Walmart I saw and purchased a kerosene lamp chimney that fit perfectly in the top of the popper. ....Art Taylor, Munford, TN

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